Jessamyn Perlmutter

Host-microbe symbioses are ubiquitous in nature and exhibit diverse and complex relationships among interacting partners. My research focuses on the molecular bases and evolutionary principles guiding the development of symbioses over time. In one project, I work with Drosophila melanogaster to test various hypotheses regarding the mechanism of balancing selection on the antimicrobial peptide, Metchnikowin. In other projects, I work to understand the genetics/genomics and molecular interactions of male-killing Wolbachia bacteria of various Drosophila hosts.